Iconic inspiration: Trevor Sorbie at Salon International

Hairdressing icon Trevor Sorbie took to the stage at Salon International 2017, where he received a standing ovation from a sold-out arena. The showcase was all about providing the audience with a sense of how Trevor and his team source their inspiration from their everyday.

“It’s an honour to be here,” said Trevor. “I’m actually feeling pretty nervous, but today is going to be special. My team and I aren’t going to show you techniques; we want you to understand how we get inspired so that you can take those approaches and use them yourself to create more of the work you love.”

Joining Trevor on stage was the Trevor Sorbie artistic team; Tom Connell, Mai Ha, Nathan Walker, Zak Twohig, Ryan Forsyth, James Bacon, John Spanton, Tiziana di Marcelli and Johanna Cree Brown. The first segment of the show saw Tom using cutting techniques to recreate the flowing lines of a scarf he’d seen a woman wearing on a train; while Trevor produced a razor cut with head-hugging lines. Explaining his drive to stay inspired, Trevor commented:

“I don’t want to be bored, I want to love what I do and I want that for you too. I want you to go to work tomorrow, feeling inspired and excited to be there.”

Following Tom and Trevor, Mai Ha brought an avant-garde element to the show, creating an intricate style made using triangles of tracing paper. Inspired by Dutch couturier Iris Van Herpen, Mai explained that complicated work doesn’t feel difficult when you’re doing what you love.

“Once you find something you love like these techniques, it’s not hard. I’m in my element doing this.”

Colourists Nathan Walker and Zak Twohig took to the stage next to show the audience their light-inspired looks; followed by Ryan Forsyth and James Bacon, who showed the audience their interesting cutting techniques. Ryan’s look was drawn from the strip of fur on the back of a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog; while James’ paid homage to David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust mullet, with a modern twist.

John Spanton and Tiziana di Marcelli produced more colour work, with Tiziana demonstrating her Jackson Pollock-inspired splatter technique. The show’s grand finale presented fibre-optic lighting fused with wefts by Johanna Cree Brown, which lit up the room to spectacular effect.

Closing the show, Trevor hinted that his live show days are not over, commenting:

“When I woke up this morning I thought this was going to be my last ever live show, but I’ve enjoyed doing this so much that now I’m not sure. Never say never!”